Inside the Abyssal Caverns, there were countless branching passages, winding and twisting like a labyrinth. At the end of one such passage lay a ruin of a great hall.
In that hall, three massive stone pillars towered upright, their surfaces ancient and solemn. Upon the surrounding stone walls were carved intricate and bizarre runes, strange symbols that seemed to shimmer faintly as though they were alive.
This place was the radiant ground of brilliance, the dust-scattered land of mortal souls, and also the junction where two worlds converged.
At the entrance of the passage, a sorcerer stood. He held a black crystal in both hands. From the crystal rippled wave after wave of eerie energy fluctuations, spreading outward into the air.
In the very next instant, tiny ripples began to shimmer in the space before him, as though the very void itself were water and someone had thrown a stone across its surface. The space trembled gently, waves of distortion undulating like water ripples.
Without a trace of hesitation, the sorcerer stepped forward. But his body did not enter the passage—instead, his figure pressed into the distorted space ahead. His form stretched, twisted, and then disappeared completely, swallowed by the trembling void.
The sorcerer's silhouette reappeared inside a valley. Behind him was the entrance of the cave, while before him stretched a vast, shimmering lake. The water's surface rippled softly, faint waves spreading outward endlessly.
"…Here I am again," the sorcerer murmured under his breath.
His gaze fixed upon the lake. Floating above its surface were countless clusters of blue light.
Those bluish spheres twisted and warped, and within them faint, distorted faces could be seen—some belonged to Pokémon, others to humans. All of them were being relentlessly sucked into a gaping crack that had appeared upon the lake's surface.
As more and more of that azure light merged into the rift, the crack continued to expand, its jagged edges stretching wider and wider. Slowly, it began creeping toward the lake's shores, as if intent on swallowing the entire lake whole.
"The Sendoff Spring… it is finally about to open," the sorcerer whispered. "The hidden fourth lake of Sinnoh. According to legend, it is from here that the souls of the dead journey forth… into the Ghost World."
…
Back at the castle, Aven immediately summoned Sutter.
The matter of the Ghost World fissure directly concerned the safety of the territory. It was a matter the Knight Captain was most suited to handle.
"So, you mean… this Mismagius?" Sutter asked, glancing at the Pokémon floating obediently at Aven's side.
As a former member of the patrol squad, Sutter had faced many dangers, but he had never had much contact with Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Yes," Aven explained calmly, "this is a Ghost-type Pokémon. Its name is Mismagius."
Hearing Aven describe Mismagius's strength—that it possessed the combat ability of an advanced-level Pokémon —Sutter froze in shock. He couldn't help but take a longer look at the seemingly gentle creature.
Aven continued, "Today I called you because of Mismagius as well."
"Although I have successfully subdued Mismagius, this matter is far from over."
He then described in detail the strange Ghost World fissure he had encountered.
When Sutter first heard the words "Ghost World," he had no particular reaction. But when Aven explained that it was the world souls traveled to after death, Sutter's eyes widened in shock.
Though part of him wanted to doubt it, Mismagius was undeniable proof—it truly hailed from that place. That left him with no choice but to accept that the Ghost World truly existed!
"Lord Aven… then what should we do now?" Sutter asked nervously.
"You don't need to be too anxious," Aven replied calmly.
"This is still only my speculation. It is possible that this Ghost World fissure opened purely by accident."
He shook his head slightly. "But regardless, we cannot treat this lightly. If a true Ghost World passage is opened, it will be a catastrophe."
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "Send word of Mismagius to Lady Mira and the other neighboring lords. Even if the Ghost World fissure turns out not to exist, the mere fact that a Ghost-type Pokémon has broken into the real world is cause for vigilance."
"These Ghost-types that cross into the living world may stray into human domains. And human souls are an irresistible lure for them."
Sutter's expression hardened. He now understood the severity of the situation. With a solemn nod, he pledged to further strengthen patrols within the Pokémon Domain during this period.
"In addition," Aven instructed, "tell the other lords to stay vigilant. If they discover anything unusual, they must report to me immediately."
Ghost-type Pokémon, after all, wielded all manner of strange abilities—illusions, possession, and even control over humans. Yet no matter how strange, their actions always left traces.
"So… this matter has nothing to do with the sorcerers?"
As Sutter departed, Kale stepped out from the room's shadows.
Having received Aven's summons, he had rushed here at once. He had overheard every word of the earlier discussion.
"Not necessarily," Aven said with a shake of his head. "There are many possible reasons for the appearance of a Ghost World fissure. We cannot rule out the possibility that the sorcerers have found a way to open such a passage."
Unbidden, Aven recalled the gray mist within the Abyssal Caverns.
That strange fog was saturated with Ghost-type energy. He had been suspicious about it from the very beginning.
Whatever resided deep inside that cave, it had to be something capable of nurturing Ghost-type energy—otherwise such a fog could never have formed.
Now that a Ghost World fissure and Ghost-type Pokémon had appeared in the Black Forest, his first thought was of the Abyssal Ruins.
Could it be… that a Ghost World passage truly existed within the depths of that cavern?
Perhaps the gray mist's Ghost-type energy originated from the passage itself. Perhaps the mist was even an overflow from that very fissure.
Yet one detail troubled him deeply.
If there really were a Ghost World passage inside the Abyssal Caverns, and if it was already in an open state, then the cave should long since have become a gathering ground for Ghost-type Pokémon.
But in reality, all this time, no Ghost-type beasts had ever been sighted there. Not even wandering Ghost Pokémon had been drawn to it.
That fact alone seemed to contradict his suspicions. Moreover, even Ghost-types themselves were not immune to the mist's corrosive effect—Froslass had proven that clearly.
"…Hah. Truly a headache." Aven let out a slow breath. "But this matter is definitely not simple. We must prepare thoroughly."
"Hmph! If the sorcerers dare to come, all the better. However many come, I'll cut them down one by one!" Kale snarled with ferocity.
Then, softening his tone, he added, "Lord Aven, let me take responsibility for patrolling the Black Forest. With Empoleon's protection, I'll be in no danger at all."
Aven nodded at this. He trusted Kale completely. Now, in addition to Empoleon, Kale commanded a full squad of Luxray as well. Entrusting the mission to him was indeed reassuring.
"Also, take my Luxio with you," Aven added after a pause.
"It possesses a special ability to sense electrical waves, allowing it to clearly perceive the signals radiating from nearby life forms."
"Furthermore, the Ghost World passage itself emits a unique kind of ghost energy. Luxio should be able to detect it with its natural gift."
Hearing this, Kale glanced at Aven in surprise. He had not expected his lord to know such details. But that only strengthened his confidence further. With the Pokémon by his side, he prepared to set out for the Black Forest immediately.
"…I only hope I am overthinking this."
Standing by the castle window, Aven watched Kale's departing figure. Yet deep within his heart, he could not shake the feeling that a dark cloud was looming ever closer.
(End of Chapter)
TN: It doesn't say Distortion World but I put it anyway since the Sendoff Spring is the path to Distortion World. My theory on the Distortion World fissure is that because of the opening of the Distortion World, it is causing the Distortion World and the Real World to overlapped. I also, think Abyssal Caverns might be Turnback Cave.
TN2: Ok, I changed it back to Ghost World after I had the time to research it properly and a reader pointed it out to me that no Pokémon lived in Distortion World aside from Giratina and Giratina being a Ghost Legendary he must at least be able to travel to the Ghost World.